Readings: Psalms 50-53
Psalm 50:3 – “Our God is coming; he won’t keep quiet. A devouring fire is before him.”
Today’s first two Psalms focus on divine judgment and forgiveness. The second two focus on wickedness and unbelief. Asaph begins with God’s voice and presence. He warns: “Our God is coming; he won’t keep quiet. A devouring fire is before him.” The fire devours evil and it devours the sin in our lives. In Israel’s life one sin is going through the motions. God desires that their sacrifices come from the heart, not from the routine. The Psalm closes by addressing the behavior of the wicked. They hate both discipline and God’s word. They are given a choice: choose the correct path of God’s salvation or “I’ll rip you to pieces.” This is their choice. We too face this choice: life or death?
David chooses the path of salvation in Psalm 51. He has walked about as far from God as one can: lust, adultery, murder. In the opening verses he begs for God to wash him of his sin. He admits his guilt and asks God to purify him, to allow him to “hear joy and celebration again.” David asks God to “create a clean heart… a faithful spirit” within him. From this place of brokenness and contrition David will once again praise the Lord. It is a good and honest and right place to go. It is part of choosing the path of salvation.
Psalms 52 and 53 paint evil for what it is: bragging, deceptive, destructive, corrupt, selfish. It comes from both the words of the tongue and from the deeds of the hands. Evil words and deeds result in shame and in being uprooted by God. This sounds bad. Really bad. Yet at times we do make the choice to sin. When we do, may we remember David’s acts of confession and repentance and may we offer his words of prayer: “wash me… whiter than snow.” Then God’s love and mercy will purify us once again. May it be so.
Prayer: Lord God, the right path is clear. The poor choices are obvious. Yet we stray and sin and fall. Lord, remember your great love, that which is far greater than our sin. Restore us as we confess and repent. Consume the sin in our hearts, leaving us with clean hearts and hands. Amen.